Clinton Wood didn’t have a plan to ride around the world — but he did — and that’s how he likes to travel.
The 45-year-old cabinet maker and now Postie from Ipswich in Queensland says he has ridden more than 100,000km in more than 30 countries and three continents almost by accident.
He certainly didn’t plan it that way.
No plan
“I used to ride around Fernvale as a kid with dad and my cousins on riding holidays, but when we moved back to town I stopped riding bikes,” he says.
“I started riding again 10 years ago.”
He says his return to riding started on a slow bus ride up the Himalayas.
“I was going mad. I had travelled for 10 years relying on people driving me from place to place and it was enough.
“So when I saw a bike (Royal Enfield Bullet 350) for sale I thought I’d buy that and just ride that back down the mountain.
Clinton in the Himalayas
“Well, I rode it back to Delhi and then I just kept on going. I eventually rode 18,000km around India on that first trip and then spent another six years just riding around India and Nepal.
“I was hooked.”
Shaking in Kathmandu
Clinton was in Kathmandu in early 2015 and had just extended his visa when the earthquake struck, knocking him and his girlfriend to the ground.
“Buildings were going down around us so I said let’s get back on the bike and get out before it goes crazy,” he says.
“I was riding against a tide of people escaping to open space in a park in the middle of town.
“We spent several days sleeping out in the open in the cold and rain.
“There were thousands of small quakes afterwards. It was the scariest time.”
He hadn’t planned it that way but he stayed for six weeks helping the locals recover from the devastating earthquake.
While in India and Nepal, Clinton says he kept meeting Europeans heading to Australia on their motorcycles; mainly Honda Transalps and Dominators.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” he says.
So when he returned to Australia in late 2015 he bought a 2005 XL650 in Sydney and rode it home to the Sunshine Coast.
Transalp to London
That Transalp also took him from Australia to London almost by accident in 2016.
He certainly didn’t plan it that way.
“I just wanted to do a camping trip for a few weeks up to the Daintree,” he says.
“When I got to Mission Beach I couldn’t turn back so I started heading west.
“Along the way I ran into a guy on a postie bike and he had no idea where he was going either so we made a pact that if we met up again in Darwin we would continue on to Asia.
“We did and I eventually ended up in London about 11 months later.”
Post-pandemic travels
That Transalp is still in London and his Bullet is still in India, waiting for the pandemic to end and for Clinton to continue his life of travel.
Meanwhile, he has another Transalp in Australia.
He was about to use it to start a motorcycle travel company, but then the bushfires hit, followed by the pandemic which ruined that plan.
When the overseas travel restrictions lift, Clinton will be off again.
Clinton wants to ride from London to Cape Town and he also wants to spend some time in Italy and other countries around the Adriatic Sea. Then there’s that Bullet in India …
He doesn’t seem to have a set plan and takes things at a measured pace.
“I don’t ride hard. Why go so fast on a motorcycle and not see everything?
“A motorcycle is a tool for pleasure. Take it slow or the bike will full apart.
“I didn’t travel the world to go fast.”
He also wants to write a novel about his travels when he finally gets time.
Judging by the tales he has to tell, it should be a good read.
Tasmania wants to encourage domestic tourism with free or discounted fares for all vehicles including motorcycles on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry when the state reopens its borders after the pandemic closure.
Tourism Industry Council Tasmania CEO Luke Martin has called in the Federal Government to temporarily extend the Bass Strait Passenger Vehicle Equalisation Scheme that covers the gap between the true cost of taking a vehicle on the ferry and the ticket price.
That would make fares attractively cheap or even free.
Ferry proposal
The proposal has been supported by Premier Peter Gutwein and the Motorcycle Riders Association (MRA) in Victoria who asks riders to email the Premier to show their support.
Luke says tourists spend an average of $2400 in the local economy.
Motorcycle tourists should be among the most desirable for local businesses, spending more than other motorists.
The Tasmanian Government loves to welcome visiting motorcyclists, but also promotesimportant road safety messages about roads and riding conditions in Tasmania.
They have produced a Tasmanian Motorcycle Travel Guide video which is given to all motorcyclists when they board the Spirit of Tasmania.
In 2015, they produced a video featuring multi-Australian Superbike Champion Malcolm Campbell and interstate motorcycle club member Lester Knowles riding around the state and pointing out the features and dangers.
Each year the video is updated.
Road safety billboards and posters are also displayed on popular riding routes.
There might not be any TT this year (2020) due to the plague, but I still thought it might be time to revisit my epic trip to the TT two years ago, 2018, and re-live a motorcycle journey that took in a fair bit of Great Britain, Wales, Ireland and of course, the Isle of Man itself. I hope you enjoy the ride…
Part Two Hinckley to the old country…
After unpacking our riding gear and luggage in a spare room at Triumph HQ we then met our mounts that were to carry us through the southern parts of the UK, up in to Wales, across to Ireland and the Isle of Man, then back across to Britain’s Peak District.
2018 Triumph Tiger 1200 XCa
My primary machine was the latest and greatest of the Triumph Explorer range, the 1200 XCa, and my partner in crime was on the equivalent smaller sibling, the Tiger 800 XCa.
The new Triumph Tigers come with full colour instrumentation that responds to ambient light and is one of the best displays on the market
The headline changes for the new model year on the 1200 include a massive 11kg weight reduction for the 1200 along with a comprehensive suite of updated electronic features that include the latest WP semi-active suspension system, dubbed TSAS in Triumph lingo, a two-way quick-shifter and keyless ignition.
2018 Triumph Tiger 1200 XCa
Over the next 2300 miles it was to prove itself comfortable and adaptable to any situation, be that motorway, single lane back roads or the mud of the Brecon Beacons. This sort of adventure required an adventure capable motorcycle and the new Tiger 1200 XCa fitted the role perfectly.
2018 Triumph Tiger 1200 XCa
Both bikes were fitted out with Triumph’s Expedition luggage system which comprises of 1.5mm thick aluminium side panniers and top-box. All three boast 37-litres of volume and the top-box easily swallows a motorcycle helmet and then some. Even my Shoei Hornet adventure helmet complete with its large louvered peak slotted in without fuss.
Triumph Tiger 800 XCa Luggage
Even when pressure washing the bikes from all angles during the trip the panniers proved capable of preventing the ingress of water. Despite being washed numerous times elsewhere without incident, one particular wash-bay in Ireland saw its soap react in some way with the stainless steel finish on the 800 panniers, but not on the black finished panniers fitted to the 1200. Must have been some nasty solvents in that particular wash!
The piece de resistance of the luggage kit though is the optional inner bags, which I specificially, and somewhat cheekily, requested Triumph UK to provide. For those of you that have used hard luggage on motorcycles, but persist with inner bags not tailored to fit the dimensions of your panniers, I can’t over sell the extra convenience that specifically sized bags can add to a multi-stop journey.
Triumph Tiger Luggage – Trev loves inner bags for his panniers!
Basically after stuffing, forcing, coercing and swearing into fitting everything you can inside tailored inner bags, you can rest assured that they will then simply slide in or out of their panniers with zero fuss or hassle. Yes, I know, I am getting soft in my old age… But when two of your panniers are filled with work related gear, leaving only one left for the jocks and socks while away for almost a month, every little bit of convenience helps. The added amenity is appreciated every time it comes to unpacking at each stop or loading up for the next leg of the journey. Especially if you have to trudge up numerous flights of stairs with your gear, which on this journey ended up being more often than not!
Triumph Tiger Luggage
While the Triumph had two power sockets as standard I did not have the requisite adaptors to actually make use of them. I called into a Triumph dealer to see if they had the adaptors to take a normal cigarette lighter plug, or had in stock the handy dual USB adaptors that fit into the particular Hella style outlet used on most motorcycles, but it was to no avail. I have had the same problem on other brands and the reason they use the smaller plug is that they fit more securely, doesn’t help much when you can’t fit anything into them without adaptors though…
The extra, also standard, USB socket hidden under the seat was too far away to use as a power source for my phone if I was to mount the phone anywhere that I could use the navigation features from Google or Apple Maps. It would only be of use when connected to something inside the panniers to charge while riding, which didn’t help me in this instance.
DriRider ‘Navigator Mini’
I did have with me though a small universal DriRider ‘Navigator Mini’ tankbag and a small but powerful battery with a fast charging USB port.
DriRider ‘Navigator Mini’
This handy little tankbag fits almost any motorcycle, and despite the very angular shape of the top of the Tiger’s tank the suction cups reliably secured it in a convenient position. It was a godsend on this trip.
DriRider Navigator Mini
The final piece of the puzzle was the Quad Lock Motorcycle Mount. I have long used the Quad Lock cases on my phones but have generally only before taken advantage of the car mounts. The Navigator Mini tank-bag does have a prop stand inside it to hold a phone for navigation in better line of sight but with the Quad Lock I could position the phone right where I wanted it.
QuadLock Motorcycle Phone Mounting system
The more recent advent of the versatile motorcycle mount has made it really simple to use the advantages of modern smartphone navigation while riding. The mount comes with a couple of different inserts to suit different sized bars and includes the allen key required to affix it. It proved flawless during the trip and for the money can’t be beat. Most Aussie motorcycle shops now stock them.
QuadLock Motorcycle Phone Mounting system
A short USB cable from the tankbag to power the phone from the battery bank in the Dririder Navigator Mini and we were set to hit the road with some chance of not getting lost.
After leaving Triumph’s Hinckley factory we negotiated a circuitous route towards Chinnor, a village in Oxfordshire that myself and my family emigrated from when we moved to Australia in 1982.
The first destination I plugged into the Google Maps was Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of the most famous bard of all, William Shakespare. A very pretty town in Warwickshire on, funnily enough, the River Avon. We had not got out of Triumph until late in the afternoon and the traffic as we entered the town centre was diabolical. I was keen to get out of there as soon as possible and hit some backroads away from the throng of cars that clogged all the main arterial roads at this peak hour of day.
Triumph Tiger 1200 XCa Trev
A run down through Alderminster, Long Compton and Wootton ensued before joining the M40 at Weston-on-the-Green and flowing along with the traffic at a comfortable 80mph (129km/h), despite the 70mph (113km/h) limit. Policing here is obviously, and sensibly, not quite as speed obsessed as Australia.
Fuel is certainly expensive though! While away I had been following the recent reports of fuel prices in most Australian cities spiking to around $1.50 but during our whole time in the UK we were paying almost twice that. At an average price of around $1.30 GBP per litre, to fill from empty both the 20-litre tank on the 1200 and the 19-litre tank of the 800 cost around 100 Australian dollars. Jaysus…
With that shock behind us we eventually left the M40 at Lewknor and approached the place of my early childhood via Aston Rowant and Kingston Blount.
Stopped for a photo but with google maps on the phone didn’t really need to take any pointers from it.
Despite leaving Chinnor for Perth not long after turning nine, I was surprised at how easily the layout of the village came back to me. My family was always heavily associated with the Chinnor Football Club and the accompanying social life, thus my inherent navigational reference points that came back to the forefront of my mind were the football pitches and pubs, a lot of which no longer remain in use as pubs but have instead been converted to shops or other less useful purposes. But I certainly couldn’t remember the roads having a tenth of the traffic that they have now, let alone the parked cars blocking half of all the main streets. A quick lap of my early childhood stomping grounds is shown in the video below and finishes at our last house before moving to Australia. A house my father built and where at about age six I did what I could to help and also laid my first brick!
The very obviously now un-PC named Black Boy that I spent time in with my mother as she cleaned it each day was now an antique shop. I remembed it is as quite a grand building but like almost everything that I saw as I laid eyes on in Chinnor for the first time in over 30 years, was a lot smaller and less stately than I recalled. Including St Andrew’s Primary School, which I had quite fond memories of and reminisced about the fantastic hot school dinners (lunches) that were served up each day, or mucking about in the snow, or clearing drifts of same to create ice runways to slide along. Gee I must have wrecked some school shoes back then, was crap at tying the shoelaces of them too I seem to remember…
St Andrew’s Church, Chinnor
One exception to the smaller than what I remember rule was the quite grand, for a village of only a few thousand people, St Andrew’s Church.
Chinnor itself is said to have commenced its existence under that name over a thousand years ago, while the first sections of the current church building were established in the 13th century. A restoration was undertaken in the mid 1860s but by and large, the church building is essentially 800 years old and constructed from stone and flint.
St Andrew’s Church, Chinnor
My parents were married there in 1962 and despite our family being largely irreligious, I was christened there more than ten years later. Its gargoyle like spouting adds a somewhat creepy note to what is an otherwise quite glorious building that clearly points out just how relatively young Australian history is in comparison.
St Andrew’s Church, Chinnor
I was also able to ride directly to the last house we lived in before emigrating, and to the gates of the farm I used to spend so much time exploring as a young kid, all from memory. The paddocks were smaller than I remembered, some of the chalk mounds were no longer, and my favourite Horse Chestnut tree had seemingly made way for houses. Horse Chestnut trees were an important part of a young kid’s life back in the day as the nuts coerced from them facilitated our games of conkers.
A hole is drilled through the nut via which a piece of string is threated through it. Various tricks were employed to try and harden the conker, the most common of which was boiling it in vinegar. Players take turns hitting each others conker as one player dangles their conker for the other to strike. Eventually one conker gives way and your prize conker earns another scalp that adds to its tally of victories.
Conkers are found inside a spiny casing on Horse Chestnut Trees
A bit different than being given an iPad to play with these days…
After the quick memory lap it was off to my Uncle Alan’s place where we would spend the night. Alan works as a disabled access officer for the local council, a position for which he is eminently qualified, as he has walked with the aid of crutches for essentially his entire life due to cerebral palsy. Thus getting around has never been easy for Alan, but in all my memories of him he has rarely allowed that to dampen his genuinely striking sense of humour, the likes of which can only be generated via a quick and impressive intellect. Thus it is no surprise that he is the resident Quiz Master in the local area and the person called upon when quiz night questions or the like need setting.
It was my pleasure to take him out for a few pints in the company of ‘the twins’, my cousins Sarah and Jane, that I have very fond memories of from my early childhood. And yes, the beer was much too warm for my liking, but I was thirsty…
Next stop, Cornwall via Stonehenge and the Jurassic Coast.
This is the first weekend that all states and territories have eased travel restrictions and we expect a lot of bikes out on the roads throughout Australia and the UK.
As we noted in our above meme a few weeks ago: “When the lockdown ends … You won’t see me for dust.”
Coincidentally this weekend I pick a Harley-Davidson Road King for test which should be more than suitable for travelling 150km radius!
150km radius from Brisbane
Like many other riders, I am also planning a multi-day ride from June 12 when Queensland’s rules (and many other states) will allow tourist accommodation.
I will also be able to travel in a 250km radius and ride with a group of up to 20.
It looks like there will be seven of us and we plan to stay within the 250km radius which takes us southwest to the Granite Belt, west into the Darling Downs and north as far as Maryborough, an area that includes a host of great roads.
Unfortunately, the beckoning roads of northern NSW will have to wait until July 12.
Motorcycles are iconic and versatile vehicles that are loved all over the world. To some, motorcycles equal recreation and fun, others utilise these vehicles for sport and competition. Some countries have even adopted motorcycles as their primary form of transportation in many cities and consider them essential to daily life. It’s fascinating to see how motorcycle culture has expanded around the world, with many areas developing a style that is completely unique and their own. Here are five countries that are known for their love for different types of motorcycles.
Slovakia
Slovakia is a country famous for its beautiful backroads and countryside. This terrain is perfect for motocross riders and races. This European country has many young riders that aspire to be a motocross champion. There is a deep rooted culture here for the sport, and many racing leagues that provide a place for these young riders to prove themselves before continuing on to international tournaments. With so much beautiful wilderness that makes up the country, from mountains to forest passes, what better way to experience the country than on a powerful off-roading machine like a dirt bike?
Italy
It should come as no surprise that Italy has a love affair with two wheeled machines. The European country has a long history with motorcycles and scooters, with cities like Rome and Venice being famous for the prevalence of scooters there. The compact and agile machines are a favourite for cruising around the narrow and winding streets. Scooter rentals are also very popular among tourists, and there is even a green initiative, with electric scooters growing in use every year.
Italy is also well respected for several major motorcycle brands that it has brought to the world. Ducati is a world famous luxury motorcycle manufacturer that was started here. With Italy being revered for their expensive and ultra-high performance vehicles like Lamborghini and Ferrari, of course there had to be a motorcycle equivalent, and this is just what Ducati is. The brand is headquartered in Borgo Panigale, Italy, and consistently makes some of the most beautiful and sought after motorcycles in the world.
Of course, while Ducati is well respected outside of Italy, no motorcycle brand is more famous in Italy than Vespa. The brand is owned by the vehicle manufacturer Piaggio, and has been creating these iconic scooters for over 75 years. These compact and sporty vehicles are well known for their rock solid construction, and are often attributed with being the first mass produced vehicle in Italy, meaning they are not only favoured for their performance and aesthetics, but were also incredibly important for the everyman.
Japan
Some of the biggest two-wheeled vehicle brands in the world were born and raised in Japan, a country known for its groundbreaking manufacturing and designs across many different industries. All over Asia and indeed the world, brands like Honda, Suzuki, and Kawasaki are well known and respected. Japan is credited with creating some of the first truly high-performance motorcycles, a tradition that is carried on with motorcycles like the Suzuki Hayabusa that upon release in 1999 was considered the world’s fastest production motorcycle, with a top speed of 300-315kmh.
Japan is a country that loves racing and vehicles that are both agile and fast, and this is reflected in the manufacturing of the top motorcycle brands here. Aside from these sporty motorcycles, they also have popular lines of scooters, cafe racers, dirt bikes, and quads, making up an impressive lineup of machines that can suit any need.
USA
The United States may possibly have the biggest population of motorcycle enthusiasts and recreational riders in the world. Here, the love affair with these powerful machines goes back to popular media that set the trend early in the 1950s. In a time before the internet and hundreds of television channels, film used to be immensely important and left a lasting impression on popular culture. Films like The Wild One starring the exceptional Marlon Brando brought a glamorised tale of motorcycle culture that influenced generations of new riders. Indeed, motorcycle culture is intertwined with the history of the United States, with some of the first motorcycle clubs being made up of soldiers that had come home from WW2 with an interest in pursuing their newfound love for these two wheeled beasts at home.
When it comes to powerful motorcycles of the chopper variety, most of the styles, manufacturing and trends are attributed to the United States. Some of the most iconic chopper brands of all time were built in the USA, like Indian Motorcycles, Boss Hoss, and of course the Ubiquitous Harley-Davidson.
Vietnam
With millions of these small motorcycles dubbed “motorbikes” in the country, Vietnam has been bestowed the title of “motorbike capital of the world.” Visitors to this southeast Asian country are often taken back by the sheer volume of these vehicles and the seemingly chaotic nature of the roads in major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Here, motorbikes are absolutely essential to daily life, with the entire infrastructure of Vietnam being built around these vehicles. City streets and highways were specifically constructed with these vehicles in mind, meaning they are normally narrow enough to allow just a few motorbikes or one big truck through at a time.
Many of the picturesque mountain passes that are essential to life for farmers and country folk are only wide enough to allow a single motorbike through. Historically, Vietnam has been completely dependent on motorbikes, and the influence of this can be seen in everything from paintings to popular film and the result is a society that is completely unique and independent from any other Asian culture.
*About the author: Anthony is a writer who enjoys riding motorcycles and motorbikes through foreign countries. When he’s not on the road, he spends his time researching emerging technology and the financial sector. Originally from the US, he has lived in several different places around the world and continues to travel.
Few countries promise such fantastic motorbiking opportunities as Australia. With endless kilometres of the open road and some spectacular vistas, it’s little wonder that many people come to the nation to enjoy the ultimate motorcycle road trip.
Recently we’ve seen an explosion in the popularity of motorbiking. Motorcyclists and their clubs have been frequently portrayed in movies and the media generally, giving rise to a “biker culture”. This has gone out to influence anything from the looks of other sub-cultures such as punk and heavy-metal to tv shows like Sons of Anarchy and legendary games like GTA. Its influences have even been felt in the iGaming industry too, where a great deal of online pokies in Australia feature slot games that are trying to embrace this feeling of liberty and give players a taste of adventure. So it’s no wonder that more and more people are answering the call of the open road to feel the wind on their faces and observe different sceneries zoom past their eyes.
But what are the must-see destinations in your Australian motorcycle road trip?
Western Australia – Walpole To Albany
We have already revealed that there’s no shortage of great rides in Western Australia. This vast state is packed full of beautiful destinations for a good bike trip. But there’s little denying the fact that the route from Walpole to Albany offers perhaps the best ride.
This trip takes you all the way down the South Coast Highway, and you’ll get to check out numerous quaint small towns on your way. Keep your eye out for oddities like the Denmark Dinosaur World, but ultimately this bike trip is all about the beach.
By the time you get to the coastal city of Albany, you’ll be ready for the perfect picnic on excellent beaches such as Middleton Beach or the quieter Little Beach. After all, you’ll have travelled well over 100 kilometres from Walpole, so you’ll need a break.
Queensland – The Lions Road
Lions Rd
The Lions Road is one of the most famous motorbike rides in Australia, so there was no way that we were going to miss this road from our shortlist.
After all, it’s an endlessly enjoyable ride through nearly about 50km of the stunning scenery that takes you across the Queensland/NSW border. The Lions Road was initially built to help farmers move produce but now also serves travellers exploring the lush forests of the Scenic Rim.
There’s plenty of fun to be had in navigating the twists and turns as you pass through the Border Ranges National Park. Just don’t forget to stop off at top cafes like the Shed Cafe at Rathlogan Olive Grove or the Bean To Cafe in Beaudesert.
New South Wales – Kangaroo Valley
If you are willing to take your motorbiking up a level, then you should definitely consider heading out to Kangaroo Valley. This twisty route will take you between the imposing Cambewarra and Barrengarry mountains, and the stunning rainforests and surrounding countryside will make the trip a ride to remember.
Some of the highlights include the Hampden Bridge that crosses the Kangaroo River but don’t forget to check out the 822-metre Fitzroy Falls. You can only get here by navigating through the single-lane Illawarra Highway, but it’s all part of Australia’s most beautiful valley and is perfect for a good bike trip.
Tasmania – The West Coast
Tasmania is one of Australia’s overlooked gems when it comes to motorbikes. But there are many reasons to head to the island, as everything from the agreeable weather conditions to the well-kept roads and relative lack of traffic make Tasmania a biker’s paradise.
There are many places to enjoy on this island state, but we’d recommend taking a trip down the wild and astonishing West Coast. As soon as you leave Hobart via the Derwent Bridge, you’ll be treated to magnificent waterfalls, old mining towns, and some seriously unique landscapes.
We’d recommend taking a slight detour through the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. This is home to endless mountains, gorges and tranquil rivers, and would make for the perfect stopping off point for yet another relaxed picnic on the road.
About the author
(*Author Mike Ray is a motorbike enthusiast and adventure lover who grew up watching motorbike races and now is on a mission to travel the world and discover awesome places.)
Meanwhile, you can dream about where you are going to ride when the bans are lifted and how long you will be away.
Making ends meet
I’m lucky enough to be able to continue to ride for my work, testing bikes (such as the Harley-Davidson Softail Standard above) and gear to make ends meet.
However, I have been responsible and limited my rides to short trips.
So my first ride after the lockdown will be a long trip with overnight stays … so long as that is allowed!
Travel restrictions that include a virtual ban on motorcycle ridingcould lead to a rapid increase in anxiety and depression that outlasts the pandemic, according to data and analytics company GlobalData.
The company says the enforced social isolation rules, along with the death threat from Covid-19 and financial disruption are a catalyst for the increased prevalence of mental disorders such as depression across a variety of age groups.
GlobalDatapharma analyst Magdalene Crabbe says sales of drugs for psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder are expected to reach $US27.4bn (about $A45bn) this year, up $717m from the previous year.
The effects could continue long after the coronavirus pandemic, she says.
Pandemic of depression
“Sales are then expected to increase from $27.4bn in 2020 to $40.9bn in 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 8.4%,” she says.
Allowing people to pursue a select group of solo and duo pastimes and therapies will go a long way to helping alleviate anxiety and depression.
“Personalised treatment strategies are important for treating psychiatric disorders, which may be exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis,” she says.
“It is important that people realise that depending on pharmaceutical drugs is not necessarily the solution to the negative impact that Covid-19 will have on people’s mental health.”
Happy riders
Sharon Ledger
Psychologist and reborn rider Sharon Ledger says riding makes people feel happy because of the release of certain chemicals in the brain.
“There are more than 10,000 chemical reactions going on in the brain every second,” she says.
“The chemicals that make you feel happy – oxytocin, dopamine, endorphin and serotonin – are produced by the endocrine system.
“Not all of these chemicals are released at the same time and each has a different outcome.
“However, more of these chemicals are produced when we look forward to doing something we enjoy; we get up early, we go outside in the sunshine and fresh air, we challenge ourselves, we meditate, we concentrate on an activity that requires skill and generally do things that motivate us.
“That pretty much sounds like motorcycling to me,” she says.
Let’s hope it’s not long before we can again experience that happy feeling.
Contributed post (Image: Pamir Highway, Tajikistan)
Any two-wheeled journey needs to be treated with care. We all know the truism that statistically you are most likely to have an accident within a few miles of home. That said, some roads in the world need to be treated with much more respect than your mum on Mother’s Day.
Below we are going to look at four of the most dangerous motorcycle routes in the world. Not the roads that are statistically most dangerous but the ones that that will reward you with life-changing views and experiences but could also lead to life-ending injuries should you get things slightly wrong.
The Canning Stock Route, Australia
Canning Stock Route
Stretching for 1,850 km from Wiluna to Hall’s Creek in the Kimberley Region, the Canning Stock route follows the historic trial of what was once the longest cattle driving route in the world.
If you’re imaging cowboys driving cattle along dusty trails, then you have it exactly right. The Canning Stock route remains exactly that, only without the cattle or cowboys. It’s now just a dirt track through some of the most barren and unforgiving terrain Australia has to offer.
Over two to three weeks of hard riding, the route passes through not one, but three, deserts, the Gibson, Little and Great Sandy. Don’t expect any roadside cafes on the way, the most you can hope for is that the century-old wells you need for survival won’t be dry when you arrive.
With stretches without fuel as long as 665km this is not a route to tackle solo and not a route for the faint-hearted. It not only requires incredible bike-handling skills, but it also demands in-depth mechanical knowledge, a great deal of logistically nouse, a hell of a lot of mental fortitude and cojones, big ones.
The Pamir Highway – Afghanistan, Tajikistan & Kyrgystan
Known officially as the M41, and colloquially as the “heroin highway”, the location of this road should be a bit of a giveaway as to why it’s so dangerous. Any road that weaves its merry way through Afghanistan and Tajikistan isn’t going to a walk in the park. And while kidnap, robbery and corrupt police and army officials are a big problem on the Pamir Highway, the biggest danger is the road itself.
The road has its roots in the millennia-old silk road that linked ancient China with Central Asia. It is the second-highest altitude international highway in the world, but calling it a “highway” probably gives it more credit than it’s due, for most of the route it is more pothole than road.
This is definitely not one for beginner drivers, you guys have enough to worry about and thesemotorcycle safety tipscan help you.
Landslides, erosion, earthquakes and extreme cold are all factors any brave rider will have to contend with on the Pamir Highway. In return, however, motorcyclists are treated with some of the most mind-boggling vistas the world has to offer and the chances of meeting other tourists are almost zero.
North Yunguas Road, Bolivia
Chances are you may know this road already or at least seen it on tv. It’s often referred to by the far catching and dramatic title of the “Bolivian Death Road”.
The North Yungas road connects the world’s highest capital city, La Paz (3,660 metres in altitude) with the low-lying Yungas region of the Amazonian Rainforest. The route itself is less than 70km long but by some estimates in its heyday it was claiming up to 300 lives a year. Eek!
The road was build in the 1930s by Paraguayan prisoners of war and is a feat of spectacular engineering. The route, which at some points is only 3 metres wide, is cut into sheer rockface with drops of over 600metres into the rainforest below. If you suffer from even the slightest vertigo, this is one to avoid.
A newer, and thankfully safer highway was now been build that sees most of the regular Peruvian traffic but the Death Road is still open for anybrave two-wheeled adventurerwho wants to put their skills against one of the most notorious routes in the world.
Manali-Leh Highway, India
Open for just four months a year when the melted snow allows it, the Manali-Leh highway connects the historic capital of India’s Ladakh province with the state of Himachal Pradesh. Stretching for 490km the route can be tackled in as little as two or three days.
However, like the Pamir Highway, one of the unforeseen risks to many riders taking on the route to Leh is rapid changes in altitude. Going up and down too quickly when you are at an average altitude of 3,000 metres plus can lead to increased chances of altitude sickness. And feeling drowsy and struggling to breath whilst trying to drive a motorbike is no fun whatsoever.
Road conditions vary from good to not so good, to very very not good. And getting a hang of the road surface is the ever-present danger of overloaded Indian buses and their less than orthodox driving style, which often involves overtaking on blind hairpin bends.
Well, there you have it adrenaline fans, four of the most dangerous and rewarding motorcycle routes in the world. If you have conquered one of these roads then you can truly call yourself motorcycle adventurer. Enjoy and good luck!
There is nothing dead about the amazing ‘dead-end” ride to O’Reilly’s and back on the Lamington National Park Rd in South East Queensland.
Despite the Gold Coast hinterland being ravaged by bushfires in September 2019, the scenery along this road is as spectacular and pristine as ever. You wouldn’t even know a bushfire had been through the region!
Spectaqcular views
That is not the case with the nearby Binna Burra Lodge which was sadly decimated in the bushfires and has closed the dead-end Binna Burra Rd south of Timbarra Drive.
However, Lamington National Park Rd is still open and is as challenging, varied and spectacular as any of the Alpine roads in NSW and Victoria.
In fact, massive roadworks over the past couple of years have made it even better.
Roadworks and retaining walls make the road safer
However, the last few kilometres to O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat are fairly bumpy.
It’s a virtual paradise for riders, yet it is relatively unknown by riders outside SEQ and little used compared with some of the other “motorcycle routes” in the region.
Riding south out of town into the beautiful valley you will notice O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyard which is a great place to stop for lunch and wine tasting (pillions only!).
About 2km down the road, it crosses one of several metal cattle grids before ascending the mountain.
The cattle grids are often on blind corners and need to be taken at right angles to avoid slipping, especially in the wet.
They are among many other hazards such as narrow one-lane sections, blind corners, rock falls, dangling vines, foreign tourists in clapped-out vans, bumps, potholes, leaf litter, oblivious bushwalkers, occasional cyclists, and moss on the road edge and even in the centre!
Watch out for slippery hazards
Despite all those hazards, it is a great road for motorcyclists of all types, so long as you take it easy and/or do an exploratory run.
The speed limit is posted at 40km/h with some 10km/h advisory corner speeds.
Plenty of hairpins
We have yet to see police on the road, but being caught for speeding is not the only reason to take care.
Weekdays are a lot less busy than weekends.
The old alpaca farm with its jaw-dropping valley views has now moved to the O’Reilly’s vineyard.
Old alpaca farm is now closed
However, just down the road is a short detour to the postcard-perfect Kamarun Lookout. It’s well worth a photo stop!
Kamarun Lookout
Adventure riders
It’s not a complete dead end for adventure riders as they can turn right just before O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat and descend into the next valley via the very rough and challenging Duck Creek Rd.
However, that road has been closed for several years due to flooding and is still closed, awaiting funding from the Scenic Rim Council. Let’s hope it opens again soon.
Duck Creek Rd
O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat at the end of the road has a coffee shop, restaurant, clean toilets, paved parking, a bird feeding show and gift shop.
Feed the birds at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat
Once you’ve rested up and refilled your tank (with food, not fuel), it’s time to head back down and enjoy the view from the other direction.
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Clinton in the Himalayas
150km radius from Brisbane
Queensland’s three-stage plan
Lions Rd
Sharon Ledger
Canning Stock Route
Spectaqcular views
Roadworks and retaining walls make the road safer
Plenty of hairpins and twisties!
Lamington National Park Rd on the Gold Coast hinterland (Image: Google Maps)
Watch out for slippery hazards
Plenty of hairpins
Old alpaca farm is now closed
Kamarun Lookout
Duck Creek Rd
Feed the birds at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat